Hawaii's Renewable Energy Frontier

Under the Hawaii Renewable Portfolio Standards law, Hawaiian Electric Co. is required to supply up to 20% of all electricity for Oahu from renewable sources by 2020. HECO has come up with nine proposals for renewable energy projects that are subject to PUC approval. Now HECO is proceeding with 110-megawatt biomass power plan in Campbell Industrial Park. Among the proposals under consideration are solar, wind and ocean thermal energy.

All this progress toward renewable energy is welcome in environmental perspective. Increasing renewable energy production in Hawaii will reduce its dependence on oil and will be beneficial for Hawaii's economy in the long run.

However, all this transition toward renewable energy doesn't necessarily guarantee cheaper energy cost. I think we'll see high price for renewable energy to cover the start-up cost for the foreseeable future.

In the oligopolistic or monopolistic market of energy, expecting cheap price for electricity may be wishful thinking. Barrier to entry into renewable energy market is so high with requirements of large capital and technological expertise. However, the future of energy market will be promising with the Hawaii government's push for renewable energy.

Links:

• Renewable Energy - Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism
  
• Facilities on Big Isle to tap sea for energy
  

Hawaii's Transition to Green Energy: Ethanol & BioDiesel

As the price of oil has risen so high, Hawaii is seeking alternative ways to replace fossil fuel and generate electricity.

As for replacement of fossil fuel, Hawaii government is moving ahead with a plan to build ethanol plants in Oahu. This plan has some people worried that the use of corn for ethanol production may cause a global famine. Corn is supposed to be imported from Mexico and used to produce ethanol. Ethanol is favored by many people because it burns cleaner with less carbon emission than other fuel.

However, Hawaii doesn't plan to replace gasoline completely with ethanol yet. Ethanol will only be used as additive oxygenator to form ethanol-blended fuel. Mixing Ethanol with gasoline will produce so-called gasohol or E-10 Unleaded which contains 10% ethanol. The current Hawaii mandate requires all gasoline to contain 10% ethanol. We are already using ethanol-blended fuel whether we are aware or not.

Ethanol can be processed as E85 fuel which contains 85% ethanol. E85 can replace gasoline in a flexible-fuel vehicle but is very expensive to produce. Until a cheaper way to produce E85 is found, complete replacement of gasoline by ethanol won't be feasible in Hawaii yet.

I think biodiesel is better biofuel than ethanol. Ethanol is made from sugar cane or corn, but Hawaii has long since abandoned agriculture. Hence, Hawaii will import corn to produce ethanol, which doesn't guarantee cheap costs. Biodiesel can be made from soybean, Jatropha or algae. Especially, growing algae to produce Biodiesel in Hawaii is a very intriguing idea. Tropical plant Jatropha can also be used in biodiesel production but may face opposition in Hawaii due to its poisonous, weather-resistant nature and potential adverse effects on the ecosystem.

Since the gasoline price has risen so much, many people have switched to diesel. Diesel is also used in many trucks, heavy-duty machinery, ships and airplanes, so biodiesel will have further reaching usages than ethanol fuel.

Links:

• Hawaii government site on ethanol-blended fuel
  
• Honolulu Advertiser: Hawaii ethanol law falls short of goals
  
• Royal Dutch Shell ventures into biodiesel algae in Hawaii
  
• Making Fuel from Algae - Shell Plans Biodiesel Algae Plant in Hawaii - thedailygreen.com
  
• Jatropha Plant Gains Steam In Global Race for Biofuels - WSJ
  
• Jatropha Biodiesel